In the residential construction industry, roofing typically consists of layered water-shedding surface in the form of shingles. A shingle may be made from a variety of materials including, but not limited to, asphalt which is the dominant roofing material used in residential construction today. The asphalt roofing industry has existed since the late 1800's with improvements continuing to the present day. However, improvements in the asphalt roofing itself do not always translate into improvements in the installation of such asphalt roofing. Overall, such installation has remained unchanged for many decades or more. Often, those individuals in the roofing trade rely on verbal or visual information, rather than formal education or regular updates about changes in their profession. Thus, a roofing apprentice may be taught by an individual who has been doing something wrong or against manufacturer's recommendations for years such that mistakes are ignored or overlooked.
A byproduct of installing asphalt roofing shingles in a manner contrary to written, established roofing practices as outlined by manufacturers and roofing associations is that such asphalt roofs are susceptible to leaks or premature failure. The performance of asphalt roofing shingles is dependent upon several factors including, but not limited to, roof slope, ventilation, roof substrate, flashing and drip edges, along with the quality, placement, quantity, and installation of fasteners. Installation of fasteners is often done pneumatically and must be placed correctly. The location of the fasteners and relative placement of shingle to one another are basic to successful roofing installation. As each successive course of shingle is applied, it is offset from the course below. This offset is needed to adequately cover the butt joint of the course below. This butt joint is where water may leak into the living space below. Fastener locations are designed so that they receive the maximum protection from the course of shingles immediately above them.
Today's standard three tab shingle is common to many homeowners, however dimensional type (e.g., “raised tab”) asphalt shingles are becoming ever more popular. Some such shingles are designed to expose five inches of the shingle to the weather. In such shingle applications, manufacturers typically require fasteners be placed in specific locations along a line 5⅝ inches from the bottom (exposed) edge of the shingle. For high wind applications, even more fasteners are required. The difficulty to a roofing installer often becomes quickly and accurately fastening a loose shingle in the proper position atop a previous course of shingles with the appropriate amount of shingle exposure. Adding the vagaries of the work environment such as wind and rain compounds the difficulties experienced by a roofing installer.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a mechanism for improved installation of roofing shingles.